City face Sporting and Bulls in New York

Manchester City will compete in the inaugural New York Football Challenge in July as part of their pre-season tour of the East Coast of the United States of America.

The four-day tournament will be one of the main highlights of the tour and will run from Thursday July 22 to Sunday July 25.

The Blues will line up alongside fellow English Premier League side Tottenham Hotspur, host club New York Red Bulls, and Portuguese giants Sporting Lisbon.

We will play two games in the tournament, at the Red Bull Arena in Harrison, New Jersey, just outside New York.

Manager Roberto Mancini feels the New York Football Challenge represents a wonderful opportunity to prepare his players for the 2010/11 campaign.

He said: “The New York Football Challenge 2010 is an important one for us. We have big ambitions for the Premier League next season, and this tournament will give us the perfect opportunity to prepare for our season with some highly competitive games, enthusiastic supporters and world class facilities.

“It will be fantastic for us to visit the United States, and especially for us to visit New York during our tour of the East Coast.

New York is one of the world’s most famous cities, and I know the players will be excited about us going there

...manager Roberto Mancini

"It is also a great chance for us to show our ability as a team to our supporters in America.”

Playing against the New York Red Bulls will see City re-acquaint themselves with Hans Backe, who was assistant to former boss Sven-Goran Eriksson. Backe is now the head coach of the newly-formed MLS side.

The final schedule of fixtures and dates of the matches will be announced by the tournament organisers in due course.